Frozen Qinghai Lake on Tibetan Plateau, China

The large lake occupying the upper part of this image of China is Qinghai Lake. It is a saline lake situated in a depression of the Tibetan Plateau. Here the lake appears greyish white as its surface is frozen.

The curved lake to the south is a reservoir on the Yellow River created by the Laxiwa Dam, in Qinghai Province. Unlike its northern neighbor, its surface is not frozen.